Time Lord of the Rings
by AliNeedsHerMeds
Summary: When the Doctor gets stranded in Middle Earth, with a broken TARDIS and dysfunctional sonic screwdriver, and his only weapons are his bowtie, fez and brain, he finds himself in the Fellowship. Together they face old and new enemies, but never cease the long journey to destroy the One Ring at Mount Doom. The Silence is growing. The Doctor is losing. But maybe no one dies, not today.
1. Chapter 1 - The TARDIS Intrudes

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own any characters, including the oh-so-dashing Doctor, the cutesy-cute-cuteness that is Frodo Baggins (AWW) or the terrible evils that are the *spoilers* (if you watched Doctor Who you would understand) Vashta Nerada, Weeping Angels, Cybermen, Black Riders, and so on.**

**Enjoy! Give me feedback if I got anything wrong!**

**:* AliNeedsHerMeds!**

**][][][**

The Time Lord of the Rings

The TARDIS Intrudes

**][][][**

The TARDIS whoozed and coughed into life. The Doctor ran and hopped around it, excitedly. His waistcoat thrown on a chair, his bow loose around his neck, and his mop of hair pushed to the side, in his usual fashion, very unusual. He was muttering to himself, half of it was incomprehensible. He was impossible to understand, most of the time.

"What is she doing now? Ooh...no that'll tire you out."

A piece of the TARDIS blew up in smoke, and the Doctor jumped back in shock and horror.

"No! No, no, no... The flux is destroyed! What is happening...?! Oh no. This isn't good. This is not good at all." The TARDIS stopped. The console stopped moving and it wheezed sickly."Oh no. Oh no, oh no, no, no. She's dead. She can't be, but she's dead. The TARDIS is dead. Gone. Kaput."

The empty air listened to him intently, but he still felt that pang of loneliness every now and again. A sickly red light bathed the Doctor's disappointed and saddened face, but toxic smoke began to pour from the TARDIS console.

The Doctor quickly pulled the collar of his tweed jacket over his mouth and nose, and pushed open the TARDIS doors. He ran out into the open, and swatted the smoke away. He shut the TARDIS doors, and turned to take in his surroundings.

"Oh hello! What do we have here then?" The Doctor grinned cheekily as he readied himself for the next adventure.

**][][][**

The council had begun.

Elrond stood and called the council to attention.

"Strangers from distant lands, friends of old. You've been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor." Elrond spoke authoritively, every ear was open, drinking in his words. The gravity in his manner called their attention without attempting to shout for it.

Surrounding him were High Elves and small dwarves, Men from Gondor and Rohan had come, including a very tall wizard and a worried looking young hobbit.

"Middle Earth stands upon the brink of destruction. None can escape it. You will unite or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate, this one doom-"

Elrond was interrupted by a wheezing, and a noise that could be simply described as vwoorp, vwoorp, echoed in the council. A shape began to fade into the council, right beside Frodo, and he shrank into Gandalf and the weary wizard put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

A large blue box materialised in front of the council of Elrond, and a man pushed open two doors. Smoked poured from inside, and the man slammed the doors shut. He coughed, waved his hand in the smoke, and then grinned when he saw the council.

"Oh hello! What do we have here then?"

The man was dressed in the strangest clothing any of the Elves, Dwarves, Men, or Hobbits had ever seen. He wore blue breeches, and had some sort of red straps holding them up over his shoulders. He wore a brown jacket, and had, what could only be described as, an incredibly stupid looking bow around his neck. Upon his head was a high red cap. It looked ridiculous too, but he wore it with complete pride.

The man moved his eyes across the whole council, then smiled again, "Hello everyone! I'm the Doctor!"

'The Doctor' reached over and took a seat beside Gandalf. "Oh go on! Don't let me interrupt." The Doctor beckoned with his hand. "Go on then!"

Elrond frowned, glanced at the strange blue box, which sat awkwardly beside Frodo, before continuing with the council.

The Doctor just sat there and looked bored.

**][][][**

The Doctor had fallen asleep. He was snoring incredibly loud, and it echoed throughout the courtyard, once everyone began arguing. There had been a huge uproar, every Man, Elf and Dwarf up out of their seat, shouting at each other. Then they all heard a snorting, croaky noise, and every head turned to the Doctor. He was slumped in his chair, and a drop of drool had made its way down his chin. The high red cap was falling over his eyes.

"How rude! That absurd man comes in here in that strange box of his," the dwarf speaking nervously glanced at the TARDIS, "And completely disrupts our meeting. Lord Elrond, I think you should remove this man from the council."

Lord Elrond looked at the Doctor and laughed. "Let the man sleep. He has come a long way." Gandalf looked to the elf.

"Did you see this?"

Frodo squirmed beside the blue box. Elrond shook his head. "Strangely, no. I can feel him in the future, but I can't see him."

With that the Doctor woke with a start. The red cap on his head rolled across the courtyard and landed at Boromir's feet. Boromir picked it up, and felt it with his hands.

"My fez!" the Doctor cried, and leaped up off his seat, and ripped it out of Boromir's hand.

"Fez? I have never heard of such a cap called a 'fez'." Boromir almost laughed. What a strange nam,e for a strange hat, for a strange man. The Doctor quickly replaced the fez on his head.

"Fezzes are cool." he stated, and Gandalf began to chuckle. "What?" The Doctor jumped over an upturned chair, and made his way over to the grey wizard. "They are."

"It is so very obvious you are in the wrong world. If you want to survive here you will have to cover it up some more. We don't want you to do something stupid!" Gandalf chuckled.

The Doctor grinned. "I always do something stupid! But then it looks to be very clever!" His eyes grew dark, and he looked into the distance, remorsefully "I haven't been in my world for a long time. And no one else has. My world was destroyed a long time ago. I have been running from every kind of war in every kind of world my whole life. I have seen worse situations than this, though this is a tricky one."

"That ring-" the Doctor points to the One Ring across from him,"-will tear you apart. It will tear your world apart. Nothing, even that small, is ever going to choose a side. Do not think it would save you." the Doctor looked over the whole council, who were listening intensely.

"Nothing ever saves you. Only you can save yourself." the Doctor turned and sat down in his chair, pulling his fez down over his eyes.

"Nothing ever saves you. No matter how much you wish it would."

**][][][**

"Ten companions...so be it. You are the fellowship of the ring." the Doctor had a big grin on his face as Elrond declared this.

"Great! Where are we going ?" at first the Doctor looked at poor Pippin strangely, then he smiled understandingly . He took his fez off and placed it on the Hobbit's head.

"There's no fun in knowing where you're going, Pip, it ruins the surprise!" the Doctor winked cheekily at Pippin.

"How do you know my name?" the Doctor just grinned and stepped back beside Gandalf

"You're a strange man, Doctor." Gandalf muttered.

"It's good you figured that out now, I'd rather not have to explain it to you later, it would be quite time-consuming." the Doctor laughed at his own joke, which no one else in Middle Earth would ever get.

**][][][**

The Doctor sat on the rock, legs crossed, chatting away to Gandalf, who was now puffing from a pipe.

"And then I said to the Judoon, Fro Jo Do Jo, and they replied -"

"So, what you're saying is these 'Judoon' are meant to be the peacekeepers of your 'galaxy' but have nearly been the reason for the death of two-thousand people and this world 'Earth'." Gandalf puffed from the pipe. "I pity your people."

"You don't get the point. I went right in and gave the Judoon a piece of my mind! Jo Do Jo and all that, and it was quite funny, to see those huge rhinos take me on! The Shadow Proclamation never did anything for Earth, always thought that just because it was a Level-5 planet it wasn't important." The Doctor stood up, and kicked at the dirt.

"Well is it? Is the Earth important?" Frodo had been listening in on their conversation, and seemed interested. Sam sat beside him, wide-eyed at the Doctor's stories.

In front of them, Merry and Pippin began to fight Boromir. They hopped up on him, and the man went down. Aragorn watched, laughing at poor Boromir.

"Every planet is important. Only the ones that embrace this are less. Any creature that says any planet is unimportant, and decides it's not worth any value, its people are simple and easy targets, well they'll have to speak to me." The Doctor sat down on the rock again, looking somewhat remorseful, and stayed quiet for the next minute or so.

Then a huge dark cloud swallowed the horizon, and Legolas shouted to the others.

"Crebain from Dunland!" Everyone began to panic. Any light-heartedness in the air had evaporated. The dark cloud seemed to be writhing, crawling through the air, rapidly. Against the wind.

The Crebain looked more like creatures. The Doctor noticed the jet-black wings, sharp, dark curved beaks, and knew what they were. Crows. "They are Saruman's spies." whispered Gandalf. "They were sent to follow the Fellowship."

Everyone hid under whatever crevices could be found in the rocky hill, and patiently waited. The Crebain flew around the hill, swarming above it, but then passed over.

The Fellowship continued on to Caradhras, and the Doctor seemed strangely anxious.

It was as though, somehow, he knew the next battle is coming. And he was happy with fighting in someone else's name.

But he would never fight in his own, which was ironic, in a way.


	2. Chapter 2 - Shadows of Moria

**][][][**

The Time Lord of the Rings

The Shadows of Moria

**][][][**

The blizzards on Caradhras were getting worse. Legolas hopped along the snow, while the Hobbits and the Doctor were stuck in it. Gandalf was tall above the snow, and Frodo and Sam cowered in the cold.

A huge blast of snow hit the Fellowship. The wind and ice were swirling around. The Hobbits were hit the worst, and the sudden wind beat them back.

"Gandalf, it's too dangerous here." Frodo said to the grey wizard. Gandalf nodded. "We need to leave, is there some other path?"

The wizard looked gloomy, then, "The only path is through the Mines of Moria. But Frodo, they would be a complete last resort." Frodo looked expectantly at Gandalf, but the wizard shook his head. "Your choice, Ringbearer."

**][][][**

Gandalf began to speak in some strange language, but thanks to TARDIS translate, the Doctor understood every word.

To the others, it was just Elvish, "Annon edhellen, edro hi ammen!" but to the Doctor, Gandalf was raising his arms and shouting at the ancient symbols and letters, glowing in the moonlight, "Open!"

The door to the Mines of Moria didn't budge a bit.

"Well, that didn't work." the Doctor leaped up from the jagged rock he had been tying his shoelaces on, and pulled out his beloved sonic screwdriver.

"What on earth is that?" Gandalf asked, and the Doctor replied, "My lovely, good-ol' sonic screwdriver. It's wonderful! Ain't that right, sonicy?" The little glowing metal stick in his hand didn't reply.

The Doctor pointed the sonic screwdriver at the rock-face, and a high whirring noise filled the air. The tip of the sonic screwdriver lit up green, bathing the door in an eerie light. Everyone fell silent for a moment.

Suddenly, the sonic flew out of the Doctor's hand, and landed a few feet away, The sonic exploded with a pop of smoke, and a few sparks spat out from it.

"No, no! Not you too!" the Doctor kneeled on the ground beside the strange object, and he picked it up in his hands. The Doctor cried out mournfully, "I won't be able to fix it until the TARDIS fixes itself! What will I do without you..." the Doctor tucked the screwdriver into the inside of his jacket, and sat down on the nearest rock.

"What will I do now?"

**][][][**

Frodo was peering at the inscriptions on the door that wouldn't open, with the Doctor tapping against random places along the rock.

Frodo broke into a small smile of comprehension, and he looked like he had finally understood.

"It's a riddle..." he said in a small voice. Gandalf frowned, but the Doctor began to pat Frodo on the back.

"Finally! At least one of you got it! I thought I would have to tell you, and that wouldn't have been fair." the Doctor ran over to beside Gandalf and sat down, crossing his legs and placing his hands around them, in a lady-like fashion.

"Don't you see?" Frodo said. "Speak _friend _and enter! Gandalf, what's friend in Elvish?"

Gandalf didn't completely understand, age was getting to him, then he figured it out. "Oh, mellon."

With that, the rock-face quietly, but not subtly, divided in two. Huge wooden doors swung outwards.

The Fellowship stood up, and wearily crept into the Mines of Moria. The shadows shifted and moved, silently watching them. They were hungry, but not hungry enough to reveal themselves yet.

They destroyed the weapon, but didn't destroy the wielder. They were smarter than before, and they weren't going to lose this time. They weren't going to fail like many great civilisations and powerful armies had before. The silence was coming, and they were afraid. They had never been afraid, when they weren't educated and when they were, but right now it only took one man to terrify the shadows.

They had even cleared the path for them, feasted on the hundreds of disgusting creatures who called themselves Orcs and Goblins, and the slimy squid creature that lived in the lake outside, when the moon was hidden and dark had made their prey more vulnerable. The water hadn't fazed them, they quite enjoyed the swim.

They were going to end the reign of terror who called himself the Doctor.

**][][][**

Dwarven skeletons covered the ground, remnants of some old battle that had been fought in these mines.

Boromir whispered, "This is no mine!" he paused, lowering his voice, "It's a tomb..."

Gimli gasped in horror. Legolas pulled out a few crude arrows that littered one unlucky dwarf. "Goblins!" he gasped.

"We make for the Gap of Rohan! We should never have come here..." the group turned around, the Doctor twirling on his heel.

The tall wooden doors began to close. The Fellowship rushed forward in an attempt to pass, but they had already closed shut. They could just about hear the grind of the two rock-faces before it shut with a slight thud. Gandalf muttered some spells, but the doors wouldn't budge.

A faint glow rose from Gandalf's staff, lighting his face in a creepy glow. "We now have but one choice. We must face the long dark of Moria. Be on your guard. There are older and fouler things than Orcs in the dark places of the world."

The Doctor waved his hand. "I sit down and chat with those for tea!"

"Quietly now." Gandalf shushed the group. "It is a four-day journey to the other side. Let's hope our presence goes unnoticed."

**][][][**

The Doctor became suspicious. He peered at every dark nook and cranny shrouded in any kind of shadow. Gandalf's staff provided the light, but the Doctor knew it wouldn't be enough.

Frodo noticed the Doctor's unsettling, darting eyes. "What's wrong Doctor? What do you see?"

The Doctor turned to the little Hobbit, the bright blue eyes boring into his head, "Look at the skeletons." Frodo glanced at the now rotting bodies that littered the floor of the mine.

"They are the remains of dwarfs." Boromir had been eavesdropping; he must have noticed the Doctor's paranoia too.

"No, _really _look at them. No pieces of flesh left, stripped to the bone. How could every skeleton be stripped? There would be a few with still some meat left on them."

"Maybe the Goblins...maybe they ate them." Frodo said.

"They wouldn't have eaten every part of every body. And they would have had to rip off the bones as well. The skeletons are perfect; they haven't been moved or broken."

"What do you think happened to them?" Boromir was confused. What was the mad-man on about?

"The Goblins didn't eat them." the Doctor paused, glancing once more at the shadows. "Maybe something else a lot faster did."

**][][][**

"Stay out of the shadows. Whatever you do, if you wish to live through this, do not go near the shadows, do not let your shadow cross anyone else's shadows, any could be infected."

"What is doing this? What's in the shadows?" Pippin asked. They were terrified; none had ever seen any creatures like this before, except for the Doctor.

"Almost every species has an irrational fear of the dark. But, you see, they're right. It's not irrational. It's the Vashta Nerada." the Fellowship moved closer to the Doctor, away from the dark and the shadows.

"They're what's in the dark. They are _always_ what's in the dark."

**][][][**

Gandalf was sniffing at the air around the three tunnels. The Doctor pointed out that at least one of them was infected with Vashta Nerada. It was too dark. The shadows were shifting around too much. The Doctor told Gandalf to not go near any of the tunnels, the shadows don't have to be cast by anything. He pointed out a spot of shadow that wasn't cast by a pillar or stone.

"Every shadow?" Aragorn was scared too, but tried hard not to show it.

"Any shadow. Anybody's shadow. If you have two shadows, it's over. You're dead."

"Is there any way to kill them?" Boromir asked, he was shaking. A new, unknown enemy that is evil has to be able to defeat. If they can't defeat these 'Vashta Nerada', there is no way they would survive this trip.

The Doctor shook his head. "Can you kill every speck of dust in every beam of light?"

The Doctor walked over to the tunnels. "Can you kill your own shadow?"

**][][][**

Frodo and Gandalf were talking to each other, while the rest of the Fellowship had gathered around the Doctor, drinking in all of his knowledge about the Vashta Nerada.

"I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had ever happened. We wouldn't be trapped and terrified of our own shadows." Frodo sighed. The Doctor must have heard this, and walked over to the Hobbit.

"Frodo, there is something you need to remember. The Vashta Nerada haven't killed us yet. Look around."

The Doctor swept his arm across the Fellowship. "All of us still have one shadow." Everyone checked their shadows. None were infected.

"So, if they haven't killed us yet, they need us for something. Let's make sure that need lasts."

Gandalf brightened up, a look of revelation crossed his face, "Ah! That's the way!" the Fellowship rushed to their feet, scrambling at the opportunity of hope. Gandalf pointed to a tunnel to the right, the furthest from the dark tunnel.

"He's remembered!" Merry exclaimed, relieved of waiting in the dark.

"No, but the air doesn't smell so foul down there." Gandalf laughs. "If in doubt, Meriadoc, follow your nose!"

The Fellowship treacherously walked into the darkness, blissfully unaware of the moving shadows that blanketed the air in their wake.

**][][][**

"Gandalf... We need light. Quickly, before the shadows come." the Doctor commanded the wizard. He knew how the Vashta Nerada worked, and swarmed, though they are prone to anomalies every now and then. And a lot of anomalies have been happening since the silence.

Gandalf tapped the top of his staff. Light blazes, a bright flash of lightning made the shadows hidden in the darkness scatter.

"Good." the Doctor whispered. "But that won't keep them for long. The light won't last for long. They can take out sources of light, if they wish to."

Gandalf ignored the Doctor's pessimistic muttering, and stated, "Behold! The great realm and Dwarf city of Darrowdelf!"

The Fellowship stopped for a moment, gaping at the high vast roof, upheld by numerous huge stone pillars. A magnificent, but empty hall, stretched before them, and it really dawned on them how far away the other side was. Black walls surrounded the hall, polished and smooth, like marble.

"Well... There's an eye opener and no mistake!" Sam gasped, in awe of the massive hall.

Not far ahead of them, huge wooden doors, not much unlike the entrance, had been smashed in. Sharp black arrows, like the ones that littered the Dwarf armour, were embedded in the dark timbers. Two goblin skeletons, picked clean like the rest, lay discarded in the doorway. Gimli rushed forwards.

Gandalf and the Doctor cried out after the Dwarf in unison, but he continued to rush into the chamber. Gimli cried out, "No shadows here!" and the rest of the group followed him in, a lot more cautiously.

The chamber before them was empty, but lit with a narrow shaft of sunlight, and the Fellowship all sighed in relief. "Sunlight is the best Vashta Nerada deterrent." the Doctor said. "But won't last long."

The shaft of sunlight seemed to get a little darker, even as the Doctor spoke, as though a shadow was crossing over the small gap near the roof. Very clean Dwarf and Goblin skeletons piled high around the room, and in the corner sat a stone well.

The shaft of light fell directly onto a stone tablet in the centre of the room, a single block, around four feet high, topped with a bright slab of white stone, made Gimli fall to his knees in front of it, sobbing.

"No...oh, no...no!" Gimli cried, and the Doctor moved in to comfort him.

"Whoever did this to your cousin and this city is long gone. Defeated already. But there is a real threat, a real army down here, much worse than Goblins or Orcs. We need you, and we need you ready to run, because that axe won't help you here. Just... just sober up. Grieve for a moment, but not a second less. Because a crying Dwarf is bad, but an angry one is worse."

"Why do you say that Doctor? Isn't anger meant to make you strong and fearless in the face of battle?" Gimli seemed a little outraged. So much for the Doctor to think, he hasn't fought hard battles.

"Now you sound like a Sontaran!" the Doctor smiled, but then his face took on an angry, but sad grimace. "Anger clouds your judgement. Anger makes you an easy target, because you would hurt and stab just about anything. I was angry once, and it made me so bitter and greedy that I may have ruined the lives of those I love. Anger is useless."

Gandalf began to read an inscription of runes, for the other's benefit, but TARDIS translate works with writing too.

"Here lies Balin." he read, glancing at a broken Gimli, "Son of Fudin, Lord of Moria." Gandalf sighed. "He is dead then. It's as I had feared."

Gandalf lifted the rotting remains of a huge book from the top of the white slab. It was slashed and stabbed, covered in dried blood. The pages were stiff, and cracked as Gandalf carefully opened them.

Legolas urgently whispered to the Doctor, "We must leave. We cannot linger, the shadows would move in." the Doctor nodded, but had his focus concentrated on the book Gandalf was reading.

"They have taken the Bridge and the second hall; we have barred the gates, but cannot hold them for long. They-they have stopped. They just all fell to the ground in skeletons, the flesh had vanished off their bones. The shadows move, and swarm around the halls. The ground begins to shake, drums beat in the deep. A terrible darkness fills the halls and rooms, shadows reach out." Gandalf paused before he reads on, glancing at the Doctor, "They are coming."

Pippin grew pale and unnerved, the thought of the Vashta Nerada, or the Swarming Shadows, had him wishing he was somewhere else right then. He stumbled against the well, nearly falling in before Merry caught him, but sending a precariously balanced armoured, but stripped, skeleton tumbling down the well.

The Fellowship froze, stunned, listening as the skeleton crashed against the sides of the long well, with clatters and loud echoes.

Gandalf turned angrily on the now even paler Hobbit, enraged, "Fool of a Took! Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!"

The Doctor turned on Gandalf, annoyed, "Don't say that! We all make mistakes from time to time and I think the Hobbit is allowed to be scared when he is trapped in a mine with carnivorous shadows, don't you think?" Gandalf seemed a little taken aback, but did not apologise to Pippin.

The Fellowship then fell silent.

A low rolling boom of drumming rose from the depths below of the mines, growing louder and louder, as though the whole of Moria was a drum, and whatever was making this noise was getting closer. A great horn blasted in the air, and some of the Fellowship jump. More horns answer the call, with the hard padding of running feet, and harsh cries.

Sam glanced down at Frodo's belt, where the scabbard of Sting was glowing a soft blue.

"Mr. Frodo!" Sam exclaimed, worriedly.

Frodo looked down, and pulls out the sword from his belt. He stares at it for a moment, unsure of what the blade glowing meant.

"Orcs!" Legolas cried, and Aragorn warned the Hobbits to stay close. The Doctor stepped up, and stood on a pile of skeletons, reaching out to a rope.

Aragorn and Boromir rushed forward and slammed the doors closed, and wedged it shut. Boromir's face grew more shocked, and he turned to Aragorn, "They have a cave troll!"

Gimli turned to one skeleton, and snatched up two rusty dwarf axes and leaped onto the stone slab.

"Let them come!" Gimli yelled, "There is one Dwarf yet in Moria that still draws breath!"

The Doctor leaped up from his high spot, where he had been tying the rope to some armor, for whatever reason, and raised his fist in the air. "That's the spirit, Gimli!"

The Fellowship readied themselves for the attack, but then, silence, only hundreds of soft thuds on the ground outside. No running feet, no drums, no horns.

Only the silence. And that was what the Doctor feared the most.

"What happened?" Merry asked from the little group of Hobbits who had been huddled beside the well.

"The Vashta Nerada took them. They ate every single Orc in one split second." The Doctor had dropped whatever clever plan he had formed, and was just standing on top of the pile of the dead.

"It is much worse than I thought." the Doctor whispered. "There are trillions of them. Trillions of trillions of Vashta Nerada outside that door."

Frodo muttered, "And yet, we're not dead. They need us, and I think I know why."

The Doctor frowned. "Why?"

"Don't you understand?" Frodo seemed to grow taller in that moment; his sudden epiphany was clear in the little glow in his blue eyes.

"They're lost too."


	3. Chapter 3 - Loss of a Loved One

The Fellowship was frozen in fear. They couldn't move, any sound might alert the Vashta Nerada to their whereabouts.

But it was too late. They had lost the chase, and now the predators were moving in. Like a spider and its web. Each strand of Vashta Nerada strategically placed along each path the Fellowship could take, to intercept it at any point. They had been clever, cleverer than the Doctor and his precious TARDIS and sonic screwdriver. They had won.

And now they were sending in the spider to catch its prey.

The Doctor felt it, deep inside him, the utter despair of failure and end. He had failed Lord Elrond, Frodo, the whole Fellowship, but most of all, the one person that he promised himself he wouldn't fail, himself. He let them win this time; he didn't even give them a fight.

Then, a miraculous idea came to him. He slapped himself on the forehead. "Why didn't I think of this before?" the desperate Fellowship didn't answer, just looked at him. "You know why? Because I'm thick! Thick-ity thick-ity thick!"

The Fellowship had no idea how to answer the Doctor, just stared at him as though he had two heads. "I know what to do!"

The Doctor picked up the rope, and tied it to the nearest skeleton. He pulled the rope around the stone slab, then around the stone well, forming a perfect triangle around the group. The Doctor hopped over the rope, and then pulled out the sonic screwdriver.

"This is going to cost me ten years of my life. But don't worry, that's nothing! Now watch! The Doctor blew on the sonic, and he blew out a golden mist and bright light fell on the screwdriver, like glowing yellow dust. The sonic screwdriver sucked in the light and dust, and the little green light at the end flickered into life. The Doctor laughed. "Wonderful, isn't it?"

The Doctor woke from his proud, dazed state, and pointed the sonic at the rope. "Just enough power to connect it to the TARDIS." He then pointed the sonic into the air, up towards the ceiling, tapping the sonic and shouting, "Come on! You can do it!"

The same whirring, vworp vworp noise filled the chamber, from the council of Elrond all those weeks ago. The Doctor had almost forgot what she sounded like, he had never been out of the TARDIS for that long.

The same strange blue box from the council of Elrond sat, once again, beside Frodo, inside the triangle rope. The Doctor laughed and ran forward, opened the creaky doors, and stepped inside.

"Oh you beauty! Ain't you gorgeous?"

The Vashta Nerada must have noticed the coming of the time-machine, because they began to enter Balin's tomb in swarming shadows.

Frodo cried out to the Doctor. "Doctor! They're inside!" The shadows stratched out long dark tendrils, but the Fellowship did not rush to enter the blue box.

They waited until the Doctor called them in. "Well come on in! " he shouted out excitedly to the others, who gratefully scrambled into the TARDIS.

Their entry was followed with ohs and ahhs, oh it's bigger than the inside, and why didn't we just use this to get to Mordor.

"Boromir, one cannot simply vworp vworp into Mordor!" the Doctor grinned cheekily at Boromir, who had no idea what joke the Doctor was trying to make.

**The Doctor's Monologue**

"Now you Frodo, pull that lever there, and Sam, just twist that to the left, no not your left, my left, and Gandalf, press the red button with your right hand- yes your right hand- and Pippin, do not touch the sonic blaster, it's very dangerous. Hey, look at that! The Fellowship are flying the TARDIS! I never thought I would ever say that! Wait Legolas, don't override the cooling system, that would not be very good. No Gimli, don't say that to poor Legolas, it's his first time flying a time-machine. Yes this is one and it does work. No, I will not travel back in time to tell you that an annoying elf would be on the council. MERRY AND PIPPIN! Stay away from the short-range teleport devices! No you cannot have them! Aragorn do not sword practice in here..."

The TARDIS began to shake uncontrollably. The Doctor was looking at a number of random dials and shapes on a screen and muttering "No, no, no. Something's overriding the system. They've hacked into the TARDIS mainframe. The Vashta Nerada aren't doing this, they couldn't be. Could they?"

Frodo stood beside the Doctor, listening intently to all of his meaningless mutterings. He seemed to be trying to learn from the Doctor, while the others were slowly and carefully driving the console, except for Merry and Pippin, who were messing with just about every dangerous piece of equipment they could find.

The TARDIS began to blow. "Who's doing this?" Frodo asked the Doctor, who had taken the control of the TARDIS, attempting to land it before whoever was controlling it landed it somewhere near to the Vashta Nerada. Though they weren't the only enemies of the Doctor that had come through, to watch him crash and burn.

The TARDIS suddenly stopped, and the Doctor jumped over the railing, and ran over to the doors. "Come on outside. Come and see!"

The Fellowship followed him out of the control room, after looking back at the miraculous time-machine. They all hoped they would live to ride once more in the blue box, the amazing box that was somehow bigger on the inside.

They left the TARDIS only to find they were still stuck in Moria. But they were next to a deep dark abyss, and a narrow stone bridge, not far from them.

"We've moved!" whispered an awe-struck Pippin and Merry, who had two small devices underneath their jackets.

They were about to cross the bridge when they noticed a tall dark figure blocking their path.

The Doctor shushed the two Hobbits, and stepped towards the figure, which had not moved at all. It was still, too still, like a statue. The Doctor walked closer to the figure, closer until he was right up in front of it.

The Doctor gasped. "Oh, it's you. I didn't expect that at all."

The figure stepped forward, slowly and stiffly, and was advancing towards the Doctor.

"Talk to me. Come on. I know you can speak. You spoke to me that day. That day in the Library."

The figure stepped into the light. It was wearing a white suit, an even whiter helmet, with a clear glass visor and bars of green light on the collar, which were flickering. There was only one faint bar left. Inside the visor, there was a human skull resting on the glass. An actual skull, which meant the rest of the body was probably just a skeleton too.

"We are the Children of the Library." a thousand voices whispered from the shadows. "And you are the Doctor."

"We did not- we did not- we did not know." The figure spoke with a strange, twisted voice, as though it took extra effort for it to speak, but it was definitely a woman's voice

"What didn't you know? Come on, I don't have time for riddles. Answer me directly and clearly." The Doctor was getting angry at the skeleton in a suit. It had done something that day, was the cause of the death of good people. Anything that killed good people was an enemy of the Doctor.

"We did not know who she was. Who she would be. Who she is. We are - we are sorry, Doctor." the Doctor seemed to get angrier at the suit for apologising. Yes it did do something in the Library, it killed someone so important to the Doctor. More important to him than the fight.

"You did not know. Well now you do. And you know what that means? That means you killed her before I knew her. And it broke her heart. Or hearts." the Doctor was seething now, and the suit stopped in front of him, towering above him.

"After that day, we educated ourselves. We read every book in the Library, and now we understand." the Doctor was staring into the eyeball sockets of the skull of the person the suit once was. The person he once knew.

"Understand what?"

"Understand the question. And to understand the question, is to know the answer. We found the answer." the halls got brighter, and just down the massive hall was a huge glowing light, passing through the pillars, making its way to the group.

"Doctor!" Gandalf cried. "We need to leave now! Balrog is coming!" the Doctor put up his hand to silence the wizard.

"What question?" the Doctor waved for the Fellowship to pass him and the suit. Balrog was getting closer. Gandalf stood behind the Doctor.

"Doctor who." the suit flatly said, then cried out as the Doctor passed it and ran down the bridge. "Doctor Who! Doctor Who!" the Doctor ran up to the suit and pushed it off the bridge.

It tumbled down the abyss crying, "Doctor Who! The silence will fall Doctor!"

"Not yet it won't."

The beast was like fire and rage and the deep dark shadows. It was neither flame nor dark. The Balrog, a massive creature rose from a chasm, and flames erupted from cracks in the floor around it. The Fellowship stopped as they turned the corner, missing two companions.

The Doctor and Gandalf stood on the bridge between the demon and the exit. Across the pit.

Balrog held a huge blade, a stabbing tongue of fire, swinging it in its hand. In the other hand, Balrog held an impossibly long whip, with licks of flame leaping playfully along the end. Balrog itself was a huge forty-foot man-beast, and looked not too much different from a demon found in the deepest of faiths, and might be considered to look like the devil himself.

But that was absurd. The Doctor met the devil before, and they don't look slightly alike, the devil was a little more orangey and red-ish. Anyway, it's stuck in a black hole now, in a whole different universe to this one.

Gandalf and the Doctor held their weapons. Gandalf had a sword in one hand, his staff in the other, and the Doctor pointed his sonic screwdriver at the beast, as though it would make any effect.

"Go back Doctor, this is not your sacrifice to take. Stay with the others, you can protect them." Gandalf whispered to the Doctor, as Balrog cracked its whip at the slender bridge.

"Gandalf, I will stand by you to the end. I'll help you." the Doctor was tapping the screwdriver, then pointed it at the beast again. The sonic began to whir, and a flame threatening to sway near the two died down.

"Well then, you must know you asked for it." the Doctor only had a moment to frown at the wizard, before Gandalf hit him with the staff, and sent him flying across the bridge, and landing on the cold floor in front of Boromir. Aragorn stepped over to carry a dazed Doctor from the bridge, while Boromir held on to a screaming Frodo.

"You cannot pass!" shouted Gandalf at Balrog, who merely returned with another crack of the flame-whip.

"I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor." Gandalf yelled at the beast, who stepped forward onto the bridge. The shadows followed in its wake. "The dark fire will not avail of you, flame of Udun."

With that, Balrog drew up to full height, spreading its wings wide, stretching them from wall to wall. Gandalf looked like a tiny figure, standing precariously on the bridge, the fiery demon towering above him. But he did not falter.

Gandalf raised his staff, and seemed to collect the light, a bright ball at the top of the staff. The light then surrounded Gandalf, bathing him in the white.

"Go back to the shadow!" Gandalf commanded the demon, who slashed at him with its sword. The wizard deflected the blow with the staff, but the bubble of light burst.

"You shall not pass!" Gandalf boomed at the beast

Balrog reached one foot over the bridge, and Boromir and Aragorn drew their swords.

Gandalf brought the staff and sword together hard down on the bridge. A blinding sheet of white flame shot out, and the staff shattered with the power. The bridge began to break, right below Balrog's feet. The Doctor began to wake, and groggily stood in awe.

The stone bridge dropped into the chasm, from right under Balrog's feet. The demon fell into the darkness. Relief flooded into Frodo's face, but only for a moment.

Balrog tried again at taking Gandalf. It lashed out with the whip, and the tongues of flame grabbed at the wizard's knees, and he was dragged down. Gandalf only just managed to hold on by his fingertips. But it wasn't enough.

Frodo was horrified. He screamed out the wizard's name, and squirmed in Boromir's grip, but Boromir never let go.

Gandalf, fierce and commanding as ever, gave the Fellowship one last drop of wisdom. "Fly, you fools!"

Before Gandalf took the drop, the Doctor managed to whisper to him. "White is very in at this time of year." Gandalf only had time to frown, until the grip on the bridge faltered. Frodo screamed out once again.

"Gandalf!" Aragorn was now screaming the wizard's name, as though that would be any help.

But the wise, old, crazy wizard who seemed to think grey cloaks and impossibly long beards were the last word in fashion, continued to tumble noiselessly down the chasm, following Balrog into the deep.

The Fellowship regrettably turned from the drop and the bridge, and ran through the archway. Frodo was still being restrained by Boromir, while the Doctor ran behind them, pointing the sonic screwdriver at random shadows and darkness, but assuring the group they weren't being followed, there were no shadows here.

Frodo had been right, the Vashta Nerada were lost, lost in the mines. But they could have escaped easily. Waited for nightfall, disappeared into the shadow, but something stopped them from crossing that bridge.

The suit that had once been Anita, had never actually crossed the bridge, It never followed them across, only blocked their way. Never touched the bridge.

So was there some sort of blockage on the bridge, something that made sure the Vashta Nerada never leave the mines? But they could escape the other side, the squid-creature-thingy should have tried to take on the Fellowship, but it had died.

The Doctor had scanned for life signs with the sonic screwdriver when the others hadn't noticed. The lake was empty, and the Doctor realised any living creature in that lake had been swallowed by the Vashta Nerada.

So if they could escape from that side, the gene barrier of the Vashta Nerada was only to make sure they would not pass the other side. A trap, maybe, they would be caught in the mines like a huge net. But no, it was much more than that. It was so they could not follow the Fellowship.

Someone had anticipated their arrival, warned the Vashta Nerada, but then locked them in. They had a chance to kill the Fellowship, but luckily they didn't. They left that up to Balrog.

So if they were going to let Balrog get the Fellowship, then they had an agreement. And a predator's agreement with a demon was always not a good sign.

Something was happening. The Vashta Nerada were scared, and ran here when they smelt the TARDIS. They got trapped here, and waited for the Doctor, while they made an agreement with Balrog.

The Doctor wasn't afraid of the Vashta Nerada. He wasn't afraid of the Mines of Moria, or Sauron and his eye. But if there was one thing that even slightly shook the Time Lord, it was something that could capture shadows, something that could cause co-operation in the hungry darkness and fiery demons, and just that something that stalks in the light, but runs free in the darkness.

He was scared of something he had no crazy, illegible explanation for. And he rarely liked things that played hide-and-seek with its food.

The Fellowship ran out of the darkness and stale air of the mines, and into the fluffy white clouds and freedom of the grassy stretches of the Dimroll Dale. They were tired, shook, and grief-stricken. All except for the Doctor of course, who was sitting on a rock, his brain spinning with endless calculations of creatures and aliens that could have been behind this.

Sam, Merry, and Pippin had slowly fallen to the ground, in groups of sobs. But Aragorn seemed restless; he didn't understand the gene barrier.

"Legolas, get them up!" he whispered urgently to the elf, but Boromir began to protest, looking around at the teary-eyed Hobbits.

"Give them a moment, for pity's sake!"

Aragorn turned to Boromir. "By nightfall this place will be swarming with Vashta Nerada." the Doctor didn't bother to tell Aragorn they were relatively safe, but really he wasn't sure. "We must reach the woods of Lothlórien. Come, Boromir, Legolas, Gimli, get them up." Aragorn nudged Sam on the shoulder. "On your feet, Sam."

Boromir looked over at poor Frodo, who had walked away. He glanced over to Aragorn, who called after the dazed Hobbit. "Frodo, Frodo!"

Frodo stopped and slowly turned around. A little tear drifted down his cheek, he looked devastated. He had lost his real guide, his old friend. He was incredibly hurt.

The Doctor stepped up to Frodo, and spoke softly to him. "The loss of a loved one is not the end of the mission." he reassured, "But not granting their last wish might be the end of theirs."

Frodo grabbed onto the Doctor, and wrapped his arms around his waist. The Doctor returned the hug, and patted the little fellow's curls. It seemed things weren't all over.

The Fellowship stood up, and through their loss and their tears, marched on towards Lothlórien, the task still upon them.


	4. Chapter 4 - Lothlórien and the Veil

Aragorn led the quiet, slightly depressed Fellowship on through the hills, as they stumbled on in the fading light, towards the woods of Lothlórien. The Fellowship stopped for a slight moment, in awe, of the shimmer of the massive forest of Lothlórien.

They had reached their first destination, not yet their final.

But the Doctor, being the ever so suspicious and curious man he is, he pointed at a large gap in the trees. "That doesn't look right. If my knowledge is correct, then that huge hole should _not_ be there. Legolas, do know anything?" The Doctor peered at the Elf, who he himself looked confused. And a little scared, from what he's seem, that hole could have been made by anything.

"No." Legolas whispered, in a faraway voice, "That should not be there." He seemed to wake from his daze, and then turned to the Doctor. "Is it worth investigating?"

The Doctor nodded his head, and seemed to get a bit excited. He loved investigating; he never really understood 'curiosity killed the cat'. Curiosity is what discovers the greatest things, be it radium, or the Arhadron galaxy. Always something to be made out of curiosity.

The man in the bowtie hopped down the hill, and made a quick stroll towards the forest, in the direction of the hole.

"Stay close young hobbits." warned Gimli, "They say a sorceress lives in these woods, an Elf-witch of terrible power. All who look upon her fall upon her spell..." Gimli began to drag off there, with a dramatic pause.

Frodo hesitated for a moment, not believing the voice calling him in his mind. He looked around him, trying to find the whisperer. He had a sudden thought it was this great witch Gimli was going on about.

"...And are never seen again!" Gimli whispered gravely.

The voice in Frodo's head continued to whisper to him. _"Your coming to us is as the footsteps of doom. You bring great evil here, Ringbearer."_

"Mr. Frodo?" Sam always knew when Frodo was worried.

Meanwhile, the Doctor was having his own troubles with a soft female voice in his head, but as he liked to do when people came to say hello, he had a lovely little chat with her. He thought he was oh-so charming sometimes.

Gimli muttered confidently. "Well here's one dwarf she won't ensnare so easily! I have the eyes of a hawk, and the ears of a fox." the Doctor snorted, before the Fellowship were quietly but unsubtly ambushed by white-blond Elves with bows and arrows.

Every person had at least four bows pointed at them, and most either froze or looked surprised and scared. The Doctor tightened his bow tie, and Pippin adjusted his fez.

"A dwarf breathes so loud we could have shot him in the dark." an Elf, possibly the leader of the others, boasted softly in front of Aragorn.

"Oh, I wouldn't do that. It would be a _shot in the dark_! Get it?" the Doctor was sometimes terrible at doing jokes. Merry frowned, then nodded and smiled, mostly out of pity for the Doctor's inability to be funny when he tried too hard, and when bows were pointed at his chest. Though the Doctor was never nervous in these situations.

The Captain Elf, as the Doctor decided to dub him, turned to the Doctor, who was still completely surrounded by Elves with slender white bows.

"Do you mind if you put down the bows? I don't think we're going anywhere with ten arrows pointed at us." the Doctor spoke softly, and Captain Elf smiled.

"I have heard of you. But I know nothing about you." Captain Elf must have had some Elves at the meeting, at the Council of Elrond. The Doctor was sure he heard a lot about the blue box and the bumbling mad man whose only love was his strange red cap and silly tight bow tie.

"I'm the Doctor." the Doctor simply whispered, definitely not enough information, but Captain Elf seemed to take it.

"Well, Doctor, I am Haldir of Lórien, and you are not welcome here." the Doctor had ignored that, and slipped through a gap in the Elven bows. He walked thicker into the forest, and the rest of the group, the Elves and the Fellowship.

"I'm never usually welcome anywhere." the Doctor had that cheeky grin when he knew something everyone else didn't. "But that doesn't stop me! In fact, it puts the fun in it."

The group of experienced fighters, and everyday, sensible Hobbits, let their jaws drop to the ground as the Doctor ran around a huge, metal, vessel-like machine, sitting on large metal stilts and Lothlórien forest's pale tall trees.

This ship was what had made the gap in the forest.

The ship itself was black and, with long silver strips along the edge, huge turbines on top of the ship hid just below the trees. It was dark and looming, and didn't fit in the forest, seemed disproportionate.

"Oh, that's very strange." the Doctor whispered at his sonic screwdriver, after waving it at the ship. The Elves seemed surprised, confused, and a little scared that they hadn't noticed this huge vessel in their forest, which they were meant to be patrolling. Even the witch would have noticed it.

"What is that?" Haldir pointed to the sonic screwdriver, and the Doctor only looked up at him.

"If you're wondering why you didn't see this, perception filter." Haldir seemed a little taken aback by the change of subject, but yet again, he had been completely confused by the Doctor.

"A perception filter changes how you see certain things. It can make a thing completely invisible, or just unnoticeable, or change its appearance. It's usually used by things that don't want you to see them, or what they really are." the Doctor explained, simply enough, he didn't go into the fascinating details of how quantum physics comes into play. The poor Elf looked like a lost child.

"What would want us to not see them?" Legolas stepped forward to the vessel, and rubbed his finger along a glass pane, touching the strange framework.

The front of the vessel seemed to split in two, divided in the middle. A brightly lit corridor followed the door, and Legolas cautiously entered the ship.

Sparks flew from random points on the wall, and wires were strewn on the ground and hung limp from the ceiling. This was not a ship in good, working order, but it hadn't crashed at Lothlórien. It just hadn't been serviced recently. Whoever flew this here had long gone, and any passengers with them.

The Doctor hopped into the ship, pointing the sonic screwdriver at doors as they passed down the corridor. Legolas pulled out his bow and placed an arrow tightly in the string. He stalked towards an open door, almost torn out of the wall.

"Legolas, be careful. You never know what could be in here." the Doctor ran the screwdriver around the door. He frowned for a second, and then nodded to himself. "It wasn't forced open. A power surge broke the engines, and when it repaired itself, the control lines were still offline."

Legolas stepped through the doorway, and paused, staring at a strange creature lying in the middle of the floor.

The creature looked quite like a human, but the orange scales and number of different sized horns set it apart from any creature on Middle Earth. Except maybe lizards.

"Veil." the Doctor whispered, "They died out long ago, he must have been the last of them." the Doctor bent down and touched the shoulder of the Veil. "I'm so, so sorry."

"How did they all die?" Legolas had bent down too, and was trying to check its vital signs. But he had no idea where the veins were, where the heart was. Even though he couldn't find the heart, the body was silent. All life had evaporated. "What killed them?"

The Doctor stood up, and turned from the body, towards a board covered in flashing lights, switches, and levers, that the Doctor began to tune up.

"Time." the Doctor said. "Time killed this race, and someday it will kill any race." The Doctor flicked a switch gracefully, and a huge canister shot down from an open hole in the ceiling, and the canister opened. A huge peice of ice was left on the ground as the canister hid back up in the ceiling. A steaming grill opened beneath the block of ice.

The Doctor smiled as the ice began to drip, then the ice became a pool of water at the Doctor and Legolas' feet. A tall, orange creature stepped forward in the steam. More and more canisters fell from the ceiling.

"But not today."

More Elves had been called in, with blankets and food. They had found something spectacular in the forest, but refused to tell everyone until they had been warmed, fed and briefed by the Doctor as to their whereabouts and the creatures that lived there.

"You're on Middle Earth, populated by Elves, Dwarfs, Men, Hobbits, and so much more creatures." the Veil nodded. "But watch out for that one." the Doctor pointed towards Pippin, who was cradling the fez.

"Hey!" Pippin objected, but already the rest of the group began to laugh.

"Watch out for him on pipe weed!" Merry giggled, as Pippin came over to him and boxed him in the arm. "Ow!" Merry rubbed his shoulder, before giving Pippin a dig in the stomach. The boys began to fight, playfully.

The Veil at first took the Doctor's advice, stared at Pippin for a second, then a few at the back laughed at the two Hobbits.

"Righty-oh, I've got to go. The Elves here will look after you." With that, the Doctor pushed the Hobbits out of the clearing, and left the Veil to their new home.

They could never return to their home planet, but they quite liked the forests of Lothlórien. They had long decided they would stay with the Elves, the strange new race with long white hair and pale faces with even paler blue eyes.

Lothlórien would from then on be the land of Elves and Veil.

Haldir led the Fellowship to a onto a hill top, and before them stretched a huge, open vista. The group's jaws dropped, and the few Veil they had brought up, to represtent the one-hundred strong population, were broadly smiling, sharp tongues licking the air.

"This is very alike our home planet." one female Veil sighed, she seemed happy.

A beautiful city nestled in Mallorn trees on top of a large hill, miles out south. It gleamed in the bright sun, greens and golds shimmering along the city. To the east of the city, known as Caras Galadhon, the Woods of Lórien continued to spread down the pale glow of the great river of Anduin. But beyond the river, the land was flat and empty. This continues formlessly until the land rose in a dark and dreary wall. The sunlight that illuminates Lothlórien cannot pass this wall, it will never have the power to lighten the shadows that lay by that land.

Haldir led the Fellowship on to the beautiful city.

The Fellowship stepped onto a wide fleet filled with soft light. The walls gleamed of silver and green, and the gold ceiling lit the ground. In its midst is the trunk of the tall and mighty Malorn tree, now thinning towards the top, with a blossoming staircase spiralling around the bark.

Celeborn stepped forward to greet his guests. His silver-white hair was flowing down his back, and his face looked grave, but peacefully beautiful, ageless. Next to him stood Galadriel, the Lady of the Elves, whose deep golden hair and unsurpassed beauty makes Gimli's claims of the evil Elf-witch hard to believe.

Celeborn looked cold and hard at Aragorn. "Nine are there, yet ten were set out from Rivendell. Tell me, where is Gandalf, for I much desire to speak with him."

The Fellowship fell into an awkward silence, still silently grieving for the wizard. Frodo looked to Galadriel, who stood silently beside Celeborn, and she spoke softly and understandingly.

"He has fallen into the shadow." She then turned to Aragorn. "The quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail, to the ruin of all." She smiled a little, the glow illuminating her divine face. "Yet hope remains where the company is true."

Galadriel settled on Sam. The Doctor knew this was the part where she went around the group. He hoped she wouldn't do him.

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Go now and rest for you are weary with sorrow and much toil." Galadriel looked at Frodo. "Tonight you will sleep in peace." Galadriel's voice faded, but not in Frodo's head. _"Welcome, Frodo of the Shire."_ she smiled sweetly at Frodo.

_"One who has seen the eye."_

"Who are you?" Celeborn turned to the Veil who accompanied the Fellowship.

"My name is Altheax." the female Veil stated. "He is Adravox." she beckoned to the other Veil beside her. "He does not speak in the company of strangers." Both were wearing white suits, with high boots and tight collars.

Another Veil stepped forward, and declared, "Androvax saved us. But sent us here? He might have brought us to a new, barren planet, but here? I do not understand his actions." the Veil sighed, tasting the air. "I am sorry, Elves, but I do not trust you or your kind."

Galadriel smiled, but before she could answer, Altheax scolded him. "Don't be so distrusting, Adrax. We have barely known the Elves and already you are dismissing them." Adrax seemed to bridle a little, and gave Galadriel an apologetic look. Altheax seemed to have some authority in the group, she definitely had the attitude.

"It does not matter." Galadriel smiled understandingly. "Life on a whole new world can do that to some people." She gave a side glance to the Doctor, who had been standing silently. What a miracle, a quiet Doctor.

The Fellowship was led up the mighty tree towards their food.

Gimli, Legolas, Merry, Pippin and his fez, Frodo, Sam, the Doctor, and the three Veil were sitting comfortably on soft couches, munching and drinking, in a little pavilion set smugly among the trees, while listening to the slightly depressing yet beautiful Elven voices singing a complex Elven song, which drifted from the tall trees above and around them.

Legolas sighed sadly. "A lament for Gandalf." Altheax looked confused about who this Gandalf person was, but she wasn't stupid enough to ask. This person had been very dear to them and had died, recently. Adrax was about to ask, but she hissed at him before he could upset them again. The little one with the bright blue eyes looked especially sad, and to provoke tears would not be a good start for the Veil. They were meant to be the Ambassadors.

"What do they say about him?" Pippin asked, fiddling with the fez on the table.

Legolas looked down. "I have not the heart to tell you. For me the grief is still too near."

Boromir sat off from the group, on his own. He looked down. "Take some rest. These borders are well protected." Aragorn approached Boromir.

Boromir slowly turns to Aragorn. Faint traces of tears sparkle in the bright moonlight streaming down from the trees. Aragorn knelt down beside him.

"I shall find no rest here." he looked at the group, chatting quietly. "I heard her voice in my head. She spoke of my father, and the fall of Gondor. And she said to me, 'Even now there is hope left' but I cannot see it. It is long since we have had any hope."

Boromir looked desperate. "My father is a noble man, but is rule is failing and our... our people lose faith. He looks to me to make things right, and I would do it, I would see the glory of Gondor restored."

Boromir smiled sadly, and his voice went dreamy; he had gone off somewhere in his mind. "Have you ever seen it, Aragorn? The White Tower of Echtelion, glimmering like a spike of pearl and silver, its banners caught high in the morning breeze." His love for his home was clear in his tone. "Have you ever been called home by the clear ringing of silver trumpets?"

Aragorn nodded. "I have seen the white city. Long ago."

Boromir smiled, sensed Aragorn's love for Minas Tirith, and took it to heart. "One day our paths will lead us there, and the tower guards will take up the call, 'The Lords of Gondor have returned!'"

Aragorn returns Boromir's homely smile, but only betrays his anxious grief when Boromir looks away.


	5. Chapter 5 - Confuzzlement

Lurtz eyes trained on the old wizard, draped in white robes, alight with mean intelligence. Saruman looked creepily happy, and smiled at him, a tall hideous beast. He spoke of his army, the Uruk-Hai.

"They were once elves once. Taken by the Dark Powers, tortured and mutilated, a ruined and terrible form of life, and now, perfected. My fighting Uruk-Hai" Saruman spoke like a proud father of these soldiers. "Whom do you serve?"

Lurtz didn't need to answer. Saruman already knew, this creature could never be on another side. But he wanted to hear it, needed to hear his name spoken by his followers. "Saruman." Lurtz's voice was guttural and raspy.

Lurtz was armoured and armed, but not in the usual style. The little blue suited men, who had a resemblance to the common potato, had supplied them with proper armour and weapons, as long as they got to fight alongside them. It was a fair deal.

Lutrz was given huge, blue, breastplates, high blue boots, and a special helmet, much like the little men's helmets, ones that cover over the head, but can disappear into the back of the neck. At the back of the helmet was a small hole, which would supply Lurtz, and the Uruk-Hai, with sustenance. Then Lurtz was given two small weapons, blue once more, which had an L-shape, and Lurtz held it awkwardly. He, and the rest of the Uruk-Hai, hadn't been taught how to hold a gun properly yet.

One of the men patted Lurtz on the back. "We will teach you and the rest of your army to use the weapon." Lurtz grunted in reply.

The Uruk-Hai smeared white paint over their armour, a creepy ritual, and the white hand of Isengard is painted on bodies, faces, and armour. The blue-armoured men joined in.

"What are you?" Saruman was brave enough to ask. They may be comically small and wrinkly, but Saruman was old and wise, he knew never to underestimate, his enemies, and his allies. Allies are the ones who were most likely to betray.

"We are Sontarans. Sontar-har!" the other 'Sontarans' joined in with his chant. "Sontar-har! Sontar-har! Sontar-har!"

"Do you have many enemies?"

"Saruman, the whole universe is our enemy." One who called himself Commander Kaagh laughed at Saruman.

"And the universe shall be your enemy also." the woman who wore the Death Ring, as some are naming it, walked through the mass of Sontarans, strolled out. She wore a knee-length skirt, a tight waistcoat, and clickity-clackity high heels. She was well respected by the Sontarans. "My name is Mrs. Wormwood."

"How can this army fight the whole universe?"

Mrs. Wormwood grinned. "The army won't fight the universe, the universe shall come and fight them. And will be defeated by the greatest army that ever lived."

Saruman raised his eyebrows, but did not reply. Mrs. Wormwood was older than him, and in turn, he was less wise. He felt like a child talking to her.

"But it's not the universe we want to defeat," Mrs. Wormwood continued, "Our enemy is the greatest, most powerful, and ingenious creature in the universe."

"Who is our enemy, then?"

"A man who has no name. He only goes by 'the Doctor'. A silly name." Mrs. Wormwood looked angrily at Saruman, but she seemed glorious. She was so sure they would defeat the Doctor.

A man who goes by the Doctor must like irony, because there was no way he could ever patch up what he had done.

All those enemies he had made, all those who had come here to destroy him. There was no way he could get them now.

Saruman addressed the huge crowd of two-hundred of Uruk-Hai, and hundreds, maybe thousands, of Sontarans. Mrs. Wormwood and Commander Kaagh stood by his side.

"Hunt them down. Do not stop until they are found. You do not know pain. You do not know fear. You will taste man flesh." Saruman turned to Lurtz, and spoke coldly, "One of the Halflings carries something of great value… Bring him to me, alive and unspoiled. Kill the others."

Lurtz nodded, and joined the rest of the Uruk-Hai and Sontaran army, who were leaving Isengard. He ran to the top of the group, to lead them into battle. They ran fast and hard, their powerful legs sprinting through Isengard.

Lurtz knew they were going to win, but from what he had heard about the Doctor, he had a feeling in the back of his mind that they were going to fail, miserably. And that the whole of Isengard, the whole of the Uruk-Hai and the Sontarans, would be wiped out completely.

But the light and powerful gun in his hand reassured him.

The Doctor shall lose.

"Well!" the Doctor declared. "I am not very good at rowing." the Fellowship laughed half-heartily at the Doctor, as he clumsily tried to push the oar gracefully through the water. It made no effect.

"Doctor, you're holding the oar the wrong way." with that piece of wisdom from Legolas, the Doctor turned the oar so the paddle was in the water, and he was holding the handle. Nobody knew whether he was being thick on purpose, or he really did not know that the flat side was used to propel the little boat.

"Oh, I am so afraid to move on these little rickety things, they would just turn over on me." the Doctor shifted uncomfortably on his seat, as the boat rocked very slightly.

"You're not _that_ fat, Doctor!" Gimli laughed as the Doctor stared at him in outrage.

"Oi! You can't say much, you...you ginger dwarf!" the Doctor even laughed at himself.

Sam whispered to Frodo, and Merry and Pippin laughed with each other, maybe at the Doctor, and Gimli and Legolas tried to teach the Doctor to row. Aragorn remained silent, looking ahead to the River Anduin.

"Do you like your daggers, Pippin and Merry?" the Doctor changed the subject, as the two heads shot up.

"Yes, very much!" the two produced their presents from the Lady Galadriel. "What did you get, Doctor?" Merry asked, putting his dagger back away.

"Just some of her large stocks of wisdom." the Doctor said, "But what she said really surprised me, I wouldn't have expected her to come out with it."

"What did she say?" Pippin lazily pushed the oar forward.

"Time can be rewritten." the Doctor whispered.

Frodo's head shot up, and his brow creased, he knew what the Doctor meant. Maybe whatever he saw in the basin could be changed. It might not happen.

"No, Frodo, not that. I think she meant something else. Something much worse than that." the Doctor smiled. "But I have no idea what it is."

Sam's eyes widened, but he said nothing. He knew better than to question Frodo on such matters, whatever happened last night was his business, and Sam respected that. But there was something niggling at the back of Sam's mind. If this thing that had gotten Frodo so excited was dangerous, shouldn't they tell the rest of the group? Mightn't it be important they knew of the extra dangers or enemies? These thoughts raced through his head, but he remained silent.

At least until Merry asked him what he got.

He presented the roll of strong, blue string. "She gave me strong, elven rope." Pippin snickered. "I am quite happy with it; actually, it is very practical."

The Doctor patted the rope. "You hold on to that, Sam, you might need it soon."

"What did you get, Gimli?" Pippin asked the dwarf, who had tuned out of the conversation.

"Oh, nothing much," Gimli seemed startled by the question. The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "She gave me a lock of her beautiful golden hair." Gimli said in a far away voice, looking nowhere in particular.

"What did you say about the horrible elven-witch of Lothlórien?" Legolas chuckled.

"Oh, shush, Legolas." Gimli scorned, but a smile already began to spread across his face, beneath his long red beard.

The Fellowship were already laughing at the now beetroot-red dwarf, Frodo was staring out to the lake.

_May it be a light for you in a dark place, when all other lights go out._

Frodo still heard Galadriel's crystalline voice deep in his head. That vial of the light of Earendil was meant for him sometime in the future. He would need it when all else fails, when darkness prevails, he felt it inside him. Maybe he could have used it against the Vashta Nerada, they were scared of light, they were shadows.

Frodo really hoped he never had to use that vial.

"Ahh!" the Doctor exclaimed, as his wooden oar fell clumsily into the water.

"Doctor... How...? Never mind." Pippin chuckled, "You are very strange, but I didn't take you as clusmy."

The Doctor sighed, and looked into the deep water, then back at Pippin. "That's the thing. I didn't drop it into the water. It was pulled from my hands." The group looked at him disbelievingly. "I swear, it was!"

"There are no creatures in these waters that could have taken the oar from you, Doctor." Aragorn objected, but even he had doubts.

"Don't be silly Doctor, you're just seeing things." Gimli added, glancing at the water.

"I didn't _see_ anything, Gimli, but I felt it. It wasn't trying to steal my oar, whatever it was, it was trying to steal me." the Doctor bent near the water. "Show yourself." he whispered to the water. "What are you hiding?"

Suddenly, all three boats began to rock, then were pulled towards the centre of the river. They were being tugged to something, but not gracefully.

"What's in the water, Doctor, what's there?" Frodo cried, moving into the middle of the boat, attempting to hide, staying away from the edges.

The Doctor shook his head, staring at the water, hoping to catch a glimpse of their attackers.

The sky began to unnaturally darken. The moon crossed over the sun, causing an early nightfall.

A black claw creeped up and clasped its fingers tightly around the edge of the boat, and slowly pulled itself up, then pulling the edge of the boat down. Other claws on that side began to pull down on the boats, bringing it into the water. Sam screamed as one grabbed his cloak, but he was pulled back by Frodo. Aragorn unsheathed his sword, but was called off by the Doctor.

The boats all tilted towards the water. They were all about to fall in, when the creatures began to pull themselves up onto the boats. They were about to emerge from the water, exposing themselves, when they pulled back. A shot ran out, and one of the creatures screamed in a high-pitch whine, and fell into the water with a clash. More of these creatures were hit. Some had time to get away into the water, but most had been killed. Their bodies did not float in the water.

The moon began to slowly rise past the sun, and the sky brightened again, day had returned.

The Fellowship sat awkwardly for a moment, the adrenaline from the sudden attack of those beasts still coursing in their viens, until someone on the bank laughed.

"Doctor! It is good to see you again." a little man, armoured in the blue uniform stepped out into the light.

"Kaagh..." the Doctor whispered. "I thought you were dead." he stood in the boat, shielding his face from the light, to get a good look at their saviour.

"So did I, Doctor. But then we came here." more of the same suited men emerged from their hiding places in the shadows. Some were small like Kaagh, but others were tall, and did not wear as much armor. The Uruk-Hai.

"How? Wha-What?" the Doctor stumbled. "How can Sontarans be here?"

Kaagh's helmet seemed to split in two. Inside was a little head, a potato head. Merry and Pippin held back their childish giggles.

"You may laugh, but I shall be the one laughing in victory. I shall be the one laughing at your dead bodies, lying on the ground." That shut up Merry and Pippin, momentarily.

"A little dark, even for you, Commander Kaagh." the Doctor shouted across the river.

Kaagh grunted, then barked some commands at the Uruk-Hai, and the Sontarans. Three tall Uruk-Hai ran through the river, to carry the boats in.

The three screamed out in horror, and were pulled down into the river. The Uruk-Hai didn't surface.

Kaagh sighed. "Idiots." he shouted at two Sontarans, who shot out two hooks, which held onto the boat, and slowly began to reel them in.

The Doctor sat uselessly on the boat, looking dazed and confused, staring at the floor of the boat. Aragorn grabbed his arm. "Doctor, you must do something, they will kill us the moment we get on shore."

The Doctor looked up at him, not really seeing, when a look of revelation crossed his face. He pulled Aragorn down and whispered in his ear. Aragorn frowned, then nodded. He crossed over to Gimli, and whispered into his ear. Gimli nodded, then told Legolas their new plan. The hobbits had no idea what was going on.

Gimli stood up and shouted at the Sontarans reeling them in, pointing behind them. The two leaped, and spun around. Gimli raised his two axes, and threw them at the little holes in the back of their neck. The two collapsed to the ground, and Aragorn and Legolas began to row furiously. The hobbits picked up on the plan, and did the same.

The Doctor pointed the sonic at the water, causing it to go dark and murky. The creatures in the river began to encircle the boat again, dragging it off, but in the direction of the rowing. They were leaving the Uruk-Hai at twice their usual speed. Kaagh shouted in anguish, and the Uruk-Hai shot at them with their Sontaran blasters, but they were already too far.

They passed the massive statues of the Gondorian kings of old, only seconds to admire them. The boats were whizzing past them at incredible speeds, they didn't need to row.

The Doctor didn't point the sonic screwdriver at the water, he left it dark. The creatures that had once attacked them before were now leading them to safety, on a narrow sand bank the other side of the lake. The boats were pushed up onto the bank, and the dark shapes the creatures made in the water disappeared.

The Fellowship crawled onto the beach, breathless and extremely confused. Every member looked at each other, and all had the tired, befuddled frown, except of course the Doctor who had already stood up and was walking around the edge of the forest dipping in at certain points.

"What just happened?"

"Well, that was an anti-climax!" the Doctor declared, rushing through the forest. "Maybe we can buy back our lost time." the Doctor bent down, and pulled away a branch. He let out an "Aha!" before bending down and reaching to a bush.

"What is it, Doctor?" Aragorn stepped towards the bush.

"Yum! Strawberries!" The Doctor handed Aragorn his cupped palm, tipping with the fruits. Aragorn knocked them out of his hand.

"Oi! What was that for?" the Doctor gathered the berried up again from the forest floor.

"Have you gone mad?" Gimli grumbled, but then bent down and picked up some berries.

"Gimli, that happened ages ago." he stood up and tossed some strawberries at Aragorn's face, who retaliated by catching them and stuffing them in his gob.

"Strawberries whiten teeth." the Doctor strolled out of the way of the others.

"And right now you need pristine white teeth." Merry rolled his eyes.

"No, right now I am very hungry."

My back arched in a sudden, painful spasm. The Fellowship continued to munch on their strawberries.

The next wave of pain tinged from my toes, and made its way through the rest of my body, completely bombarding my nerves in an unstoppable hell. I let a slight cry escape my lips, but Aragorn tossed it away as some strange bird. He could believe anything now.

Pains stabbed at my sides and chest as though it was being stabbed repeatedly, and it continued all around like it was making its way through me. I let out a louder screech. More than Aragorn heard it, and they shared suspicious looks. The Fellowship got up off the ground, brushing leaves off themselves. They threw the strawberries away. Some were scared, but of course the Doctor was very curious. I cursed myself when the pain had stopped, and crawled as much as I could off the beaten track when the energy was available, but it was hard to get off the beaten track when I was already well hidden.

Legolas already heard my hurry to scuffle away, and were following his ears. It was too late. They had found me.

I hadn't realised I was bleeding until the sticky red liquid was dripping down my cheeks. I froze. The blood wasn't just coming out of my nose, my cheeks smelt like iron.

I very slowly put my hands to my cheeks, and brought them back to stare at them. My eyes were blurred, sore, and probably bloodshot, but they focused in on my hand. It was covered in red.

I was crying blood.

Frodo was strangely excited by the hope of a new adventure, and he thought that whatever may be happening here was by something from Middle Earth.

I hid in a gaping hole beneath a tall tree, my breathing heavy and my body was numb with the aftershock of the pain. My eyes became overly blurry, and I was blinded. But I could still see through their eyes, and from their perspective, this was terrifying.

I hadn't heard my own thoughts or voice in months. They sounded pretty dull, everyone else's thoughts are so much more... realistic. I did not like the sound of my pounding and over-excited head.

I was well hidden beneath the leaves and undergrowth, but I left a long trail of wet blood on the ground, easily caught by the light. I heard the group gasped, but sighed when I knew there was no way to hide from them. The blood was like a perfect trail towards me.

I stepped out from under my cover, and looked into the eyes of a complete madman, who smiled at me. His smile was infectious; I smiled warmly back. Then I realised in my current state, that might seem fairly creepy.

They all gasped, and "Oh my goodness" escaped most of their lips. I knew how terrible I looked; I could see it in the reflection in their eyes.

I was pale, as white as three feet of snow, but deep red streaks fell down my face, always thickening, and my mouse-brown hair had what seemed like red highlights, framing my face. I put my hand, the clean one, on the back of my head, and it was gushing out too. My hands were smeared with my blood, but that was my own fault. The rest of me was dishevelled, overly thin, and extremely weak. I looked, and felt, brittle. My limp arms, tiny hands and drooped shoulders showed how tired I was. I had no idea how long I had been lying there, in my quiet pain.

The scene and my body gave me an almost evil yet innocent look. I bet M. Night Shaymalan would have a field day at the thought of me walking around in a tall forest, hunting down strong, brave men. As if I would be bothered to go after them. Effort of following them around, hidden in the dark all the time. Them I would be Gollum, and my 'my precioussss...' imitations were awful.

"Oh my... are you alright?" The tall, more feminine one of the group, with the long white-blond hair and prancy toes stood in front of me now. I stared coldly back into his pale blue eyes, letting my smile fade away.

"Alright?" I whispered. "You're asking me if I'm 'Alright'?" I built my anger and my sarcasm. "Eh, now, do I look like I'm bloody alright?" Ranting time. "I am covered in blood, and now the stuff has started pourin' outta me eyes, and I feel like every bit of me has been punched all over a hundred times, and now look what you're making me do." I sucked in my top lip as I shouted over a sudden rushing wind. "You're making me buh-loody faint!"

And with that, the rushing wind, the bright sky, the kind hearted elf and Time Lord, turned absolutely black.

I am very annoyed right now.


	6. Chapter 6 - Whole Lotta Trouble

A child danced around the garden, as a bubbling barbeque sizzled as juicy ribs were dropped on it, and the birds flew about the garden, catching any left over vegetables they could. The sun was hidden behind the bush, but the stretch of unbroken blue sky was enough to heat the little back garden. A fish jumped in the pond, and the dark wooden table creaked under the weight of an over-flowing salad bowl.

A coke lay over turned on the grass. The ribs burned to charcoal. The fish fell back into the water, never to be seen again. The birds screeched to a halt in mid air, then disappeared from view, maybe hiding in the trees. The salad bowl turned black with hungry flies. Clouds covered the sun, and the sky became a menacing grey. Heavy rain fell, and blue lightening struck across the sky.

But the child still ran.

"Will she be alright?" Frodo asked, his concern reflected on his face, along with most of the group. The Doctor knew the answer, but Frodo had been through enough for today.

"She's going to be just fine." the Doctor smiled, and Frodo nodded and walked away. Boromir stepped up behind the Doctor.

"She's not though, is she?" His voice was only a hushed whisper, trailing off as he stared at the girl's dishevelled body. Even with their help, her tiny sliver of health was deteriorating, she was slowly fading away.

"No." the Doctor replied, unable to look Boromir in the eye. He tended to her once again, taking a piece from the collection of strawberries the Hobbits had stashed.

"Will she ever be alright?" Boromir asked, concern creasing his forehead, as he frowned at the Doctor.

The Doctor looked up at him, then looked away. He looked at the wet cloth in his hand, and threw it to the ground. The girl muttered in her sleep, something about steak.

He stood straight, and began to walk away. "I don't know." he sighed. "She hasn't been attacked by anything exactly..." he turned to Boromir. "Physical. Tangible. The thing that's keeping her like this, it isn't completely real. It doesn't exist." he took out the sonic.

"Yet."

"What do you mean 'they got away'?" Mrs. Wormwood shouted at Kaagh, and a few of his soldiers, as they hurriedly stepped up the tower steps. "You have a whole army at your disposal, and you couldn't hold onto seven Natives and an idiotic Time Lord." she spit out at the Sontarans, grabbing a piece of machinery from an Uruk.

"We found this, left in the middle of the forest."

Mrs. Wormwood studied it more carefully, then her face fell, and she became very pale.

"Where exactly in the forest did you find this?" she whispered, shaking as she turned the object around in her hands.

"Two leagues west of where we caught them." the Uruk stared at the woman, who became more terrified the more he spoke.

She tossed the piece of misshapen, dull metal, and began to walk towards the mixed army. She barked out orders at a few Uruks, jumping as they admired their weapons. Kaagh walked straight to her, his stocky legs competing to keep up.

"What are you doing?" he looked back to the object, thrown away by the Uruk, who had lost interest. "What is that?"

"I'm going to do something very spectacular and stupid of me." she sat in the wooden carriage, she didn't care much for horse-riding.

She beckoned to the three Uruks in front of the carriage, who went to fetch the horses.

"I'm going to save Middle Earth."

With that the horses were put in place, and Kaagh was issued with another order.

The Doctor teased the girl's chapped lips with fresh strawberries, squeezing them above her lips, but that didn't arouse her. She had been out for hours, almost a whole day now, and hasn't eaten in a few days, at least. Her cracked ribs were clearly visible through the sweat-covered shirt, and had been draped with a heavy cloak, but still she was at unrest, unable to awake. Every now and again she spoke, sometimes incoherent babble, and other times, prophecies and insults a mad man might whisper.

_Don't let them get you, they'll kill the cradle..._

This was a constant sentence, a warning, the only thing they could take as a real warning. Something - an army, a terrible force, maybe - was stirring in the darkness. She knew, she knew everything that was to come, the Doctor had sensed it. He hadn't told the rest of the Fellowship, they should be focusing on this task, and fight no other evil forces on Middle Earth, except for their prominent and immediate enemy, who was hot on tail, up until they had found the girl. They had seemed to have returned to Isengard.

They were all fearful for the girl; she was obviously unwell, not just physically. Something very bad had happened to her, and as for the red streaks that had fallen as freely as tears down her cheeks, that was a whole other mystery.

Merry and Pippin, looking more ridiculous than the Doctor had, fez tipped at an alarming angle on his head, which he had felt was mandatory to hold onto, were sent out on berry and water collecting duty. Frodo liked to go around the forest for firewood on his own, but was sometimes accompanied by Sam. Frodo hadn't slept in a while. Aragorn and Legolas were constantly on the lookout, running about the forests like leaping-crazy deer, who had been told by the Doctor numerous times that if they were still here they'd be dead by now. Gimli sometimes followed Merry and Pippin in their gathering. He usually ate all the berries, while the two went out and splashed in the water.

That only left Boromir and the Doctor, looking after the near-death girl and thinking very philosophical thoughts. The Doctor wasn't one known for the latter.

"Doctor?" Boromir whispered, like a child, as he sat on a stump, and bent over, scratching up dirt and dried leaves. The forest floor was soft, and made the thumps of Aragorn and Legolas hard to hear. The forest was quiet, except for the sound of Merry and Pippin splashing in the river, even though they were warned of the danger of what the Doctor called 'Vampire Fishes'. 'Be careful!' he had said to the Hobbits, 'Those things are very quick when it came to catching their food.' The two hadn't taken it seriously, but it hadn't helped that he winked.

"Doctor?" the Time Lord looked up from his sonic, after messing with the ends. He nodded.

"What do you think will happen?" the Doctor frowned. "When she wakes up?"

He gave a side glance to the girl, who had been breathing heavily and cold sweat dripped in small beads down her forehead.

"I don't know..." the Doctor said, before kneeling in front of Boromir, and speaking very fast, as he liked to do when he was explaining something extremely complicated.

"But I have a theory. She was bleeding from her eyes, right? Well I think it was a bad conversion. She wasn't completely compatible, but they must have been short of people. Or maybe they needed someone to help them get out."

"Who are they?" Boromir bent forward even more, fascinated at this sudden outbreak. "Is it the Vashta Nerada? From where?"

The Doctor frowned and shook his head. "No. Why would it be them? They don't convert..." he sighed. "And I don't think I know exactly where from yet. They could be anywhere if they could convert her!"

Boromir sat up, and frowned. "Well then Doctor, who is it? Who do you think did this to her?"

The Doctor stood up, and pointed the sonic screwdriver at the girl. She squirmed in pain, and Boromir winced. After the spasms, the girl's eyes flew open, and she sat bolt upright. Her chest rose in heavy, rhythmic breaths. She didn't move for moments, not at all, only to breathe.

"What is she?" Boromir took a few steps back, and began to walk slowly away.

The Doctor's face went pale, and the girl swung her legs off of her bundle of blankets. She ripped the cloak off herself. She stood straight, and didn't take any steps for a while. She then learned to walk, and took steady strides towards the men.

"Humans." the Doctor whispered, backing off into the forest. "You never really stopped getting yourselves possessed by insane ancient aliens." he turned to a very nervous looking Boromir. "Run!" Boromir didn't move. He was stuck to that spot. "For goodness sake, Boromir, get out of here!"

The girl turned to the other side of the forest, a soft patter along the leaves seemed to echo around the trees, who grumbled noisily. A tall business woman, wearing practical but high black heels emerged from the darkness, her hand in the air, revealing a large ring on her finger.

"Hello, Doctor." the woman smiled warmly. "I don't believe we've met before." She twisted the stone on her finger, and the girl screamed in agony. She fell to the ground in a heap.

The Doctor stared at the girl for a moment, then brought his eyes back up to meet the woman's. "No, I don't believe we have."

The woman knelt before the girl, and checked her vital signs. "Breathing's slowing down, but otherwise, she may wake up tomorrow." she mumbled to herself. "Let's hope that doesn't happen."

Boromir looked angry and outraged. He stepped forward to the woman, and pushed her away from the girl. "Who are you to decide her fate? Stay away from the girl!"

The woman stood up, and smoothed down her pencil skirt. "My name is Mrs. Wormwood. I am here because this girl is threat to this planet." 'Mrs. Wormwood' sighed. "And it looks like whatever has gotten inside her head has gotten inside yours." she said to Boromir, who just got more angrier. He pushed the woman again.

She raised her hand, and was twisted the ring. The Doctor shouted, but covered his ears. Boromir screamed and fell with a soft thud on the forest floor. Mrs. Wormwood stepped over Boromir, and tiptoed through the rough leaves towards the Doctor, who glanced anxiously at the girl and Boromir, both looked to be sleeping, face down on the undergrowth.

"I don't want to have to do that to you." she looked him up and down. "We might just need a doctor."

The Doctor picked up a cloak, and tucked his sonic away into his tweed. "You will." he said. "You always need a doctor."

He stepped through the forest, as though he wasn't the one being captured at all, and Mrs. Wormwood ran after him like he was a rogue child.

"And I'll always be there. In the shadows. Hiding. Looking out, never looking in, looking back." A voice said in the shadows. "But Doctor, it's time you looked back."

The Doctor swirled around, staring at each corner of the trees. The voice was male, and it carried, but it drifted with the wind, like a whisper, but a shout across the trees and the distant crash of the great river. Whoever the person was, which he had a hunch about, wasn't actually there in the forest.

The Doctor walked on, ignoring the voice. "It's time to wake up, Doctor." the voice faded away into the light. The Doctor and Mrs. Wormwood found themselves confronted by a group of Sontarans in a boat, all looking tired and sweaty.

"Did you hear that?" the Doctor whispered. Mrs. Wormwood just frowned and shook her head. The Doctor had his eyes on the sky, sniffing the air. "Something's wrong..." he stepped onto the boat as Sontarans dragged Boromir and the girl aboard.

"I'm afraid I don't understand you, Doctor." Mrs. Wormwood looked annoyed. Mumbling wasn't something she particularly appreciated. And when it comes to the Doctor, it mattered most that they heard him. They need to know everything.

"Well, that's good then. " he whispered, then his voice became a shout. "Because I'm sure if anyone understood me, the sky might burn."

_Maybe it would._

A voice whispered in his head, like a taunt. Galadriel. She knew something.

Middle Earth would burn if anyone knew what the bloody hell he was talking about all the time.

"Doctor!" Merry shouted. "Doctor! Where are you?" Merry made to shout for the Doctor again, but Pippin slapped him on the arm to shush him.

"Be quiet! He could be asleep!"

Merry scoffed. "Ha! He only sleeps when he gets bored, and that's when Aragorn and Legolas talk about battle strategies." he sighed. "Anyway, he got those special ear plugs now. He'll never hear us."

"Someone call me?" a man stepped out of the shadows. He was tall, skinny, wearing a bright blue suit. He wore glasses, which he quickly pulled off, and his hair was sticking up on his head.

"What - who -" the Hobbits unsheathed their daggers, and pointed them at the man.

He held his arms up. "Ooh, wouldn't want to use them, wouldn't want to hurt them." he reached into his jacket.

"Stay back!" Merry warned. "We're armed!"

"Calm down!" he pulled out a copper rod, glowing blue at the end. "I was just getting Ye Olde Sonic-y!" he pointed it at the sky. "And it looks like you two have something that belongs to me."

He stepped up to them, taking out their pockets, one by one, until he found a silver round disc from each of the Hobbits. "Hey!" Pippin jumped. "They're the Doctor's!"

The man looked up. "Yes they are." He gave them back to the Hobbits. "Hold these on the palm of your hands for a moment, will you?" The two obliged. "Like the hat by the way."

"Thank you." Pippin grinned. "It was given to me by a friend."

"And..." the Doctor pointed the 'sonic-y' at the discs. "Now!" The discs brightened to blue, and Merry and Pippin disappeared into a hazy blue fuzz, no signs left of them.

"Better watch out." the man said in a bad American accent. "'Cause there's a whole lotta trouble comin' your way lil' darlin'."

"The Doctor's coming to town."


	7. Chapter 7 - Breaking Worlds

Aragorn and Legolas stepped lightly across the forest floor, not quite running, towards the little camp they had set up after they had found the girl. The sunlight streamed through the leaves, casting droplets of light along their paths. It was a fine, normal day.

They laughed when they heard Merry and Pippin shouting for the Doctor, and were about to call after them, when they heard another voice, like none they had heard before. Merry and Pippin did not sound calm while the other voice, definitely a man, told them to relax.

Aragorn and Legolas stalked in the trees, hiding in the darkness, their feet barely making a noise. Legolas drew his bow, but Aragron called him off. "We don't who he is yet." it took more than that to convince Legolas. "He could be a friend of the Doctor's." Legolas brought his bow down.

"Hold these on the palm of your hands for a moment, will you?" the man was holding two metallic discs, and he gave them to Merry and Pippin. They looked nervous. Whatever he was doing, it must have been a trap. But Aragorn and Legolas didn't recognise it in time.

"Like the hat, by the way." he looked at Pippin's ridiculous fez. It must be nearly falling off his head. It was a miracle he hadn't lost it by now.

The man was holding a metal rod that looked and sounded very similar to the Doctor's sonic screwdriver. Maybe there was more of that strange contraption out there.

Pippin humbly thanked the man, and the two held the devices in their hands. The man played with the other sonic, and pointed it at the discs. Merry and Pippin frowned.

"And..." the man took a breath. "Now!" the discs turned a deep blue, and seemed to explode over Merry and Pippin. Then the two were gone. Disappeared. Aragorn and Legolas gasped. Maybe the Doctor did know him.

"Better watch out." the man turned to where Aragorn and Legolas were standing not really seeing them. "'Cause there's a whole lotta trouble comin' your way lil' darling."

He smiled, and looked Aragorn and Legolas right in the eye. "The Doctor's coming to town."

The two stepped out from the shadows, and they glared at the man. "Where are Merry and Pippin?" Legolas demanded, looking around the man.

"I'm sorry." he said. "But they're on a whole different planet, fighting a whole different war."

"What?!" Aragorn grabbed the man's arm. "Tell us the truth. Where are our friends?"

The man looked Aragorn in the eye. "I'm sorry. But you are just going to have to trust me."

"We cannot trust you if we do not know your name." Aragorn let go of the man's arm.

The man in blue took a deep intake of breath. "John Smith." he said. "My name is John Smith."

Gimli appeared from the shadows. "We'll take that as a no, then." Aragorn frowned at the dwarf. "Oh come on! You don't think that's his real name, do you?"

Aragorn and Legolas knew Gimli was right. "Go on then. What's your _real_ name?"

'John Smith' smiled. "Now if I told you that, which I can't, you wouldn't believe me."

"Why can't you tell us your real name?" Legolas frowned.

"Certain things, certain history." he looked up. "I have two names. Well, maybe three."

"We don't have times for riddles, man." Gimli spat.

"That's just something you're just going to have to learn later." John Smith smiled sweetly.

A little, pint-sized Hobbit emerged from the trees. Frodo's bright blue eyes were alight with anger and knowledge. Somehow, he looked wiser beyond his years. "You're a Time Lord." Frodo said. "Old and forever. Known to everyone, and yet no one knows your name. Hiding in all of time and space. Alone, with every planet at your fingertips, so many jumping to fly with you to the stars." Frodo circled John Smith. "But sometimes the stars isn't enough. All of time, waiting for you to steal it."

Frodo produced his sword, although it wasn't glowing blue. He help it up to the Doctor's neck, at least, as high as he could, and snarled at the Doctor. "You know the answer to every question, but you won't answer mine."

Frodo stood tall, this new level of aggressiveness didn't suit him.

"Where. Are. My. Friends. Answer me Doctor!"

The Doctor gulped, and whispered, "Middle Earth."

_***Flashforward***_

"This is how it ends, Doctor." Saruman smiled. "This is how both of our universes end. With the reign of Sauron, the terrible and great reign of the dark lands of Mordor!" the wizard laughed. "You lose."

The Doctor lay vunerable on the ground, paralysed, hurt. Dying. Silent.

"Listen to that, Doctor. Do you hear it?" Saruman grabbed hold of the Doctor's jaw in fury. "Do you hear anything, Doctor? Answer me!"

"No." the Doctor whispered through gritted teeth.

Saruman let go. "Good." the wizard leaned on his staff, staring out the huge, panoramic window, looking out at the planets that lit the sky, every one either crumbling, or in fatal turmoil. "Now look at our worlds, Doctor. Look at them dying. Burning with rage and hatred." he said, eyes glassy, twinkling at the death and destruction around him. "All because of you."

"Look at them! Look at what you have done!" Saruman raised his staff, and pointed it into the darkness behind him. "Look at the sky. Or I will destroy it."

The Doctor looked up with grey eyes. He breathed in deeply, but could only take shallow breaths. "It's over, Saruman. You have your prize. Let them go." The apocalyptic scene reflected on his face, as he turned to Saurman.

Saruman bent to the ground, still holding his staff in his hand. "I am but the middle man, Doctor. You know who calls who lives and who dies." The two looked to the metal door where beyond it the ruler of the universes hid, shrouded in the darkness of the recesses of his mind.

"What is he?" The Doctor whispered, still staring at the door. "What has he become?"

"He has become greater than all of us. He is time and space. Don't you see it, Doctor?" he turned back to the window.

"Yes." the Doctor whispered. "I see it all."

"You didn't see this coming, did you?" Saruman smirked. "You thought you would win, like you always win."

"See, that's where you're wrong." the Doctor smiled, for once in a long time. "I never win. But the other side always loses."

Saruman laughed. "Does it not relieve you? To see that all your efforts weren't needed, that every time a person died in your name, it didn't really matter?"

The Doctor sighed. "Saruman. You really don't understand it. The time, the paradox, the collasping dimensions. How this isn't the real end. The real end is all of this-" The Doctor waved to the burning sky before them, "Ceasing to exist. Just popping out of all of space."

"He wouldn't let that happen." Saruman side glanced to the door in the darkness, and moved closer to the Doctor, whispering. "The child wouldn't let that happen."

"The child was stolen out of time! Do you think it would care about a bitter war like this?" The Doctor spat. "Look at you. You're no longer the great power you were. You're just the middle man now. You're nothing."

"Watch your tongue!" Saruman hissed, and neither said nothing more.

A voice drifted from the shadows, hiding in the darkness. _"You're winning. The Time Lords are returning. When we all die,_ _they will come back"_

"Well I'm not going to let it come to that." The Doctor looked into the shadows, eyes searching for the speaker.

_"Oh but it's too late! They've already come!"_

The voice in the shadows was proved correct when right in front of the window, before their eyes, slowly materialising with the wheezing, metallic noise, a big, blue, classic 50's British police phone box floated beside them.

"You're right." The Doctor sighed. "This is the end."

_***End of Flashforward***_

"Ow! Watch it!" Merry rubbed his arm after Pippin had fallen on him in the dark.

Merry and Pippin had no idea where they were, and they were lost. The walls, enclosed around them, were grey and damp, and were made of stone, no bricks. A dirty stream of water flowed beneath their feet, which became stagnant the more they walked ahead. The discs no longer glowed, and were now returned to the useless pieces of steel they once were. The two were both very annoyed at that man.

"Sorry." Pippin whispered, adjusting his cap.

The darkness surrounded them, and they were trapped in this long, stinking tunnel. They didn't know how long they had been walking for, but they guessed that from the waves of fatigue, it had been a while.

Merry, ahead of Pippin, spotted the light first, and gasped, turning to Pippin and laughing. "Look! Light! Finally."

The two laughed at each other for a moment, then frowned. The light ebbed, and darkened. It was getting further away.

Merry and Pippin started to walk faster, then ran towards the ever darkening light. They sprinted up, and the light stopped. They hesitated, and stepped cautiously up to it.

The light was itself just a glowing ball, brighter than normal sunlight, but not blinding. Nothing held it, it was floating in mid air, pulsating. It didn't generate much heat, but certainly lit up the tunnel. The tunnel was smaller than normal man-sized tunnels, but bigger than Merry and Pippin. The walls dripped with algae and other sea-plants, and the water was clearer than they had expected.

Merry reached forward to touch the ball, and his hand went straight through it, like it wasn't there. Pippin jumped forward to stick his hand through.

Suddenly, the ball shot up into the ceiling of the tunnel, where a door slid open. The ball shot through it, hovered above the opening for a second, and disappeared, leaving them in darkness again.

Another light illuminated the tunnel, but this one was more stable and seemed to have a more feasible light source. Someone had a torch.

"Who's down there? How did you get into the pipe?" A man called down from the opening. "Hello?"

Merry and Pippin jumped up, and Pippin shouted up to the man, "Hello! Can you get us up, please?"

The man grunted, but threw down a rope, which hit the floor with a splash. Merry thanked him, and began to crawl up the rope. In time, both of them were up from the tunnel.

They found themselves in a huge, maybe underground cavern, still damp, but a lot less wet than the tunnel. The cavern was rocky, littered with white, dripping columns and pillars, and in the centre was a cart, filled with sacks of coal. The man was draped in a long brown cloak, worn and tattered, stained with water at the bottom and ends of the sleeves.

The man put the torch in the cart, and pulled down his hood.

Merry and Pippin's mouths widened. They covered their gaping gobs with their hands, but pulled their hands back down again, and attempting to close their mouth, only to be opened again.

"So, you never told me, who are you and what are you doing in the camp?" The man asked, oblivious to the two's gawping.

"We-we-" Merry stuttered, "We know you. How couldn't we?"

The man frowned. "I'm sorry, have we met before?"

Pippin nodded frantically. "How do you not know us?"

Merry laughed. "Funny joke! Hilarious! But you can stop it now. I don't know who put you up for this, maybe Gimli or Boromir, but the joke's over now." Merry's smile faded. "It's not funny anymore."

"I am very sorry, but I really don't know you. Maybe you know someone who looks like me?"

Merry shook his head. "No... It's definitely you. Come on, don't you remember us?"

The man smiled sadly. "No."

"Aragorn? How could you forget us?"

**][][][**

"Frodo? What happened?" Aragorn approached an angry Frodo, who still held John Smith, or whoever he was, by the throat, tightly with Sting.

"He's telling the truth." Frodo whispered, disbelievingly, and slowly took the sword from John Smith's neck. "They really are in Middle Earth."

Frodo looked different. He seemed to have changed his clothes, his facial expression, and his voice had hardened. He wore tattered chest armour, iron gauntlets, and a loose leather belt, with a highly engraved metal scabbard, for a tiny dagger maybe, tube-shaped and it looked unlike anything on Middle Earth (but that really wasn't anything unusual, from what they have seen so far). On another side of his belt was Sting. Frodo's face was grittier and harder, the brightness and sadness in his eyes replaced with older, distrusting ones, flashing with intelligence.

Frodo had become a warrior, to the standards of Aragorn, Gimli and the elf one, he seemed ready for any unexpected journey, and a long awaited for battle. He certainly hadn't been in Middle Earth for quite some time.

The man nodded. "Only not here. A different version of Middle Earth, a different world, very complicated."

"A collapsing cosmos containing three inverted parallel universes. Those machines Merry and Pippin stole, they're pan-dimensional trans-teleporters. They use highly advanced quantum transportation, at least highly advanced for two Hobbits in Middle Earth." Frodo turned to Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli, who were dumbfounded and quite rightly confused.

None of them had any former knowledge on the physics behind the disappearance of Merry and Pippin, and neither should Frodo. He shouldn't even know how to put quantum in a sentence, let alone teaching three of the Fellowship about quantum physics.

"Frodo... What?!"

"What did you do to him, Doctor? For him to be speaking such babble." Gimli spit out his name like it was a curse.

"Nothing, nothing..." the Doctor frowned, worried. "Frodo, did you bump into anyone... or anything?" The Doctor bent down for a moment, to Frodo's height, and creased his forehead.

Frodo looked away, seemingly confused, eyes and mind elsewhere, then turned to them, "N-no, no, I didn't. I..." Frodo whispered, unsure, even with the sudden, Einstein-like intelligence, marginally close to that of a Time Lord. Not enough head space, though, Frodo is still only a Hobbit of the Shire.

"Right then!" The Doctor clapped his hands together. "You don't know, you don't know."

"This forest isn't safe anymore."

**][][][**

When the Doctor first heard of the Bane, quite a long time ago, he was sure they would, at some point, be up to no good. Sure, he had been in conflict with them before, but never kidnapped and in such a situation.

And with the Sontarans, no less.

He should be disappointed, but the fact that creatures from his home universe were coming through was both worrying and brilliant. He had a way back home, hopefully, but Middle Earth was doomed to implode on itself.

Boromir stirred beside him, shuffling on the cold, damp floor, struggling against their binds, searching in the dark.

The Doctor grinned, but realised it wouldn't be able to help him now. "Finally!"

"Where are the others?" Boromir muttered groggily, and shifted to his feet, feeling an arrogant scratch on his nose.

The Doctor thought for a moment. "They should be on their way to Rohan, I believe. Not so sure where the three hobbits are..." His memory, failing him, made him give up trying to understand what was going on.

Boromir snorted. "Right." He surveyed the surroundings, which could have been a room full of sugar with walls of jelly, the darkness was that overwhelming.

A shaft of light illuminated the dirty floor, then a pair of loafers, leading up to a bowtie, and an ugly Uruk accompanied with an angry potato man stood in the doorway.

"You're wanted by the master." the Uruk grunted. "Immediately." the Sontaran added, grumpily.

As the two unhappy prisoners were lead out of the dusty cave of a cell, the Doctor noticed something strange about their wardens. They were arguing, muttering at each other, and giving each other dark looks and snarls. Any Sontaran that came in contact with an Uruk openly proclaimed their superiority, and an Uruk openly was aggressive. It was surprising a war hadn't begun here already.

The Doctor turned his face from the enemy, and whispered to Boromir, "They don't get along." He turned back around, to face an irritated potato man, who shooed him along.

The steps of Orthanc were unwelcoming and steep. A white wizard and a smart-looking woman had waited to greet the prisoners, but had gotten bored and busy, and so the Doctor and Boromir had sit on cold black floor.

Saruman looked incredibly old and malicious, tapping his staff, resembling the tower, on the ground as he entered. Mrs. Wormwood looked like a woman with a deep plan of her own, which was going her way, and her footsteps were in tune with Saruman's tap-tap-tap. Saruman perched himself on his throne, while Mrs. Wormwood gathered around a cloth on a podium.

"Look who it is." Saruman began. The Doctor wanted to say something witty, but managed to keep his mouth shut, for Boromir's sake.

Mrs. Wormwood raised her eyebrows at Saruman. "Your eyesight never seems to fail you." She turned to the Doctor and Boromir. "Now, then. Tell us what you're up to."

Saruman frowned. "They're bringing the Ring of Power to Mordor, to destroy it."

Mrs. Wormwood gave Saruman a glance of annoyance and rolled her eyes, sighing. "Where's your little TARDIS? Moria?"

The Doctor sneered. "We'll just have to hope it turns up at some point."

Mrs. Wormwood laughed, evilly, but whole-heartedly. "A time-machine can't always be your deus ex machina. No way out this time."

Saruman started, his mind reeling at the mention of a 'time-machine'. Maybe that's why the Doctor's so strange, he's from a different time. The possibilities had suddenly become endless, and the Doctor's grave bottomless.

"Well, yes, but I can always be my own deus ex machina!" The Doctor joked, really hoping he could come up with a plan, quickly. "What have you done with the girl?"

"Disposed. You should thank me, Doctor, for saving this pitiful world." Mrs. Wormwood snorted, knowing she did a good-guy duty. In the Doctor's eyes, she should be a villian.

"Thank you." The Doctor croaked. "You saved millions of lives."

Mrs. Wormwood was suddenly taken aback, and Saruman almost stood. They might have broken him.

"Where is she now?" The Doctor asked.

Mrs. Wormwood snapped back. "They're burning her in the fires deep."

The Doctor's head nodded in the direction of the doorway. "Oh? Then who's that?"


End file.
